Wicked is another musical that is on my want-to-see list. BroadwayWorld.com has a great video interview from the show - Note the new, larger format of the streaming video.
Also mentioned is a review of Wicked in Minneapolis at Steve's Blog, also he did a piece on all five Wicked productions currently on stage.
The Show:
Wicked is a musical that premiered on Broadway at the George Gershwin Theatre on October 30, 2003. It is loosely based on the best selling novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. The musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. With musical staging by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento, Wicked is directed by Tony winner Joe Mantello.
The original cast included Idina Menzel as Elphaba, Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, and Joel Grey as The Wizard. Business and popularity boomed due to very good word-of-mouth, and the box office was boosted when the show was nominated for ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Menzel was named Best Actress in a Musical. The musical received two additional Tony awards—to Eugene Lee for scenic design and Susan Hilferty for costume design. The cast recording received the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album in 2005.
Synposis:
The story is an alternative to L. Frank Baum's classic book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and is also influenced by the iconic 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz. Set in the days prior to Dorothy's arrival from Kansas, the story explores the idea that the infamous antagonist we call the Wicked Witch of the West was misconstrued and victimized. Her alleged evilness was merely retaliation against a charlatan wizard’s corrupt government. At Shiz University, the intelligent green-skinned teenager, Elphaba Thropp, meets beautiful and ambitious Galinda Upland (who changes her name to Glinda during the course of the play and later becomes Glinda the Good) when the two become room mates. Their lives intertwine, and, throughout the show, their friendship struggles to endure extreme personality differences, opposing viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, and of course, Elphaba’s eventual tragic fall from grace.
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1 comment:
Erica -- Given your love for great theatre, I'm surprised you haven't yet had a chance to see this exhilarating show (although a close friend of mine who sees all the best Broadway shows finally saw it). It is still going strong and I hope you won't be disappointed!
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